Fallen
by Pixie Faolan
Summary: Tristana, an orphan living with foster parents is stuck in Paradise Falls for her 18th birthday. Now along with meeting the Archangel Michael and dealing with the apocalypse, she finds out something quite unnerving about herself. Will she survive it?
1. Chapter 1

**Yes, I'm just full of updates today, I know…hopefully it'll last XD**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Legion or any of the characters or ideas associated with it. I DO, however, own Tristana and her family so please no stealing my characters. **

**Enjoy the story and please review with constructive criticism or helpful ideas to stave off any possibility of writer's block.**

Fallen

A Legion Fanfic by xXShadow-Wolf13Xx (Formerly known as xXPsychoXx)

Chapter One

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><p>I stood outside the rundown diner in disdain. Of all the places for my foster parents' car to break down, it had to be in the middle of nowhere at some God-forsaken diner named Paradise Falls. I reluctantly followed my foster parents into the diner. The inside, I noticed, was just as rundown as the outside. The room was filled with a rhythmic thudding sound that echoed over the sound of cooking food and white noise. I followed the sound to one corner of the room where a man stood on a chair beating his hand against the side of an old TV. I assumed he was trying to uncover a decent picture on the snowy, staticky screen.<p>

"I swear to God, Bob, one of these days that thing's gonna hit you back." The diner's cook said punctuated by the man whacking the TV, again. He was dark skinned with a silver hook instead of a right hand.

"Whaddya talkin' about? We got a special relationship here." The man, Bob, said, followed by yet another hard whack to the old TV.

"Yeah, yeah, they got names for that kinda relationship, Bob." The dark skinned cook shot back. I chuckled under my breath. They bantered like two guys who'd been together through the good and the bad. I glanced away to find where my foster parents sat. Three tables away from them, there was another couple talking in heated whispers. Occasionally they glanced at a girl who looked to be about my age standing not too far away from me. The girl had long black hair and was wearing a black corset and miniskirt. She stood, leaning seductively over the jukebox, and the thin strip of cotton that somehow passed as a skirt rode up, leaving little of her stunning figure to the imagination. With a sigh, I pushed myself from my spot leaning against the wall by the jukebox and walked over to the bar where the cook stood over a grill muttering about Bob and his TV. I glanced up at the menu on the wall.

"Can I get you anything?" He asked. I smiled slightly and nodded.

"Yeah, I'll have a cheeseburger and a Coke." I replied. He nodded. I watched as he grabbed a glass and half filled it with ice before grabbing a can of Coke and pouring it over the ice. He placed the glass and the half full can on the bar in front of me. I took a sip of my soda and watched as he began to make my burger. When my food was finished, he placed the plate before me on the bar and told me how much I owed. I paid him, including tip, before walking over to the table where my foster parents sat, a limp fry dangling from my lips. I sat on the bench across from them and began to eat.

"You want a fry?" I asked, holding a fry out to my foster father. He shook his head in the negative and I shrugged and retracted my outstretched arm. I looked around the diner as I chewed, noting when a very pregnant blonde walked in followed by a black guy who looked to be about twenty. I noticed the exchange of flirty looks between the dark haired girl who had moved to sit at the booth just behind ours, and the black guy who was now leaning against the bar buying a pack of cigs from the blonde waitress.

"Where ya been, Charlie?" Bob asked the blonde as he stepped down from his chair and approached the bar. "This ain't a resort you know, I got orders stacking up."

I scoffed, he'd be on his knees praising God if he had orders stacking up. He must just feel better about ragging the pregnant woman about taking a break if he says that. I tuned out most of the conversation as I finished my food, only catching bits and pieces about someone wanting to use a phone and someone complaining about slow car repair service. I bit back a groan at the thought of being here for several hours. I did not want to spend my eighteenth birthday in some desert shit-hole because my foster dad's suburban overheated. I heard the tinkling of bells over the door and looked up to see Bob storm out, presumably to check out the car situation with the mechanic. I glanced over to see the black guy sitting on a stool at the bar, delving into a steaming short stack drenched in syrup. Behind me the girl, Audrey I think was her name, was still staring at him with a glint in her eye. I took a long drink of my coke, barely glancing up when Bob walked back in with a reassuring comment to the guy who had asked about his car. I heard the black guy ask Bob about a phone, then, heard a rustle and a door as he walked back to where the phone was. The TV had long since returned to playing static, and Bob walked by grumbling about poor reception. Percy chuckled and shook his head as Bob resumed his abuse of the television.

"I told you to get the satellite TV, but no, you don't wanna listen." Percy said, pointing his spatula at Bob. Bob slapped the TV again.

"What do I need that crap for?" He asked, smashing his hand again into the TV.

"The History channel, man." Percy replied.

"I got all the history I can take." Bob shot back. Another resounding thud filled the room.

"Ain't that the truth." Charlie, the blonde waitress, said. Bob whacked the TV again.

"What's your problem? You don't need to be watchin' this anyway." He said. Charlie rolled her eyes and returned to cleaning up the remnants of the black guy's meal. With one final thud, the picture snapped into focus.

"There, clear as day." Bob said.

"Great Bob, now what the hell is that?" Percy asked.

"Oh, you know, it's one of them test things." He said, backing down off the stool. I scoffed, of course it was a test, just ignore the fact that it said quite clearly along the bottom of the screen that 'This is not a test.'

"Don't look like no test to me." Percy said, looking warily at the screen and the hollow tone it emanated, filling the diner.

"Aren't they supposed to give us information on something to do if it's a real emergency?" Asked the woman sitting two tables down from us, Audrey's mom. Charlie was standing there clearing away dishes, but her attention was riveted to the tiny TV screen.

"I'm sure it's just a mistake." The woman's husband said in a soothing tone.

"Hey, Percy, check that old radio of yours." Bob said, pointing towards Percy, "See if they got any news 'bout the TV."

Percy pulled down an old battery powered radio and switched it on, rolling through channels of static. Finally, he found a clear station. The same hollow emergency tone echoed from the small speakers. He tried another channel, and another. The same result. Every clear channel he came across was broadcasting nothing but that single, hollow tone. The diner was filled with its empty echo. I felt my veins turn to ice as a feeling of dread settled in the pit of my stomach like a ball of frozen lead.

"Maybe there was an earthquake?" Suggested Audrey's father. His wife looked at him, as did the rest of us. "They've been saying we're overdue for a big one."

"Lot a folks could be hurt." Percy said somberly.

"Not if it was centered in the desert." Bob said firmly.

"Exactly, could be nothing to worry about." Audrey's father said.

"Then, why is the TV out?" His wife asked.

"Maybe it took out the relay stations," He said, "aren't those usually in remote areas?"

"Yeah, 'cause the radiation they give off." Bob said.

"There ain't no radiation comin' off those things. Plus, that don't explain the radio being out to. Some of those stations broadcast over hundreds of miles. Quake that big and we woulda felt it." Percy retorted.

"Percy's right. I didn't feel nothing." Charlie said.

"Maybe it's a terrorist attack or something…" Audrey spoke up from her spot in the booth behind me. I turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow. Where the hell did that come from?

"Oh, God…" Her mother said, placing a trembling hand over her mouth. For a moment everyone was silent.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud! There ain't no use in speculating. I'll just call up my brother in Needles. He musta heard something." Bob said.

"I don't think so." The black guy said, walking out from the back office he had been in.

"Whaddya talkin 'bout?" Bob asked, turning to him.

"The phone's out. Just cut me off in the middle of my call. Tried to call back and there wasn't a dial tone." The guy replied.

"You gotta be shittin' me." Bob groaned. The guy just shook his head and took a seat at the bar.

"Well isn't this just great?" The woman said, she sounded near hysteric.

"Calm down Mrs. Anderson. Nothin' to get excited about, they're probably just workin' on the lines." Bob said, turning his attention to her, "Sides, Jeep'll have your truck fixed before you know it, then you'll be on your way."

Before anyone could reply, we heard the sound of a car, then, the door jingled as an old woman with a walker shuffled in and sat at one of the free standing tables not far from where the Andersons were sitting. Charlie walked over to hand her a menu.

"Oh, that won't be necessary, dear; I already know what I want." The woman said. She had a sweet old lady voice, the kind I remembered from old Christmas gatherings with my foster parents' parents.

"Alright, what'll it be?" Charlie asked, pencil and pad ready to take down the order.

"I'll have the steak, please." The woman said.

"How would you like that cooked?" Charlie asked as she scribbled something onto the pad.

"Rare if you would. And water, no ice." The woman answered. Charlie added that to the slip and nodded.

"I'll have that right out for you." Charlie said, turning and walking away.

"Charlie, was it?" The old lady called.

"Yeah." Charlie threw to comment over her shoulder as she continued over to Percy.

"What an unusual name for a girl."

"So they say, I'll be right back out with your water." Charlie said, handing the slip of paper to Percy and busying herself with the task of getting the woman's water. I watched as the old lady turned her attention to the Andersons as she waited for Charlie to return.

"Hello, I'm Gladys. Gladys Foster." The woman introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you Gladys, I'm Sandra, and this is my husband, Howard." Mrs. Anderson replied, gesturing first to herself, and then to her husband.

"What a nice young couple. What brings you out to these parts?" Gladys asked gesturing around and the rundown diner.

"We're moving out to Scottsdale with our daughter Audrey," Sandra began, gesturing behind me to her daughter, "But our car broke down, and now we're stuck here until it's repaired."

"Oh, what a nuisance." Gladys said, shaking her head.

"Hey, Gladys, it seems that all of the lines are down around here, you know the phone and TV. We were wondering if you had heard anything on your way up. Anything about what's going on?" Sandra said after a moment. I watched the old woman, a fly was buzzing around her head, and several were landing on the table around her, her clothes, and even her face. She didn't even twitch in response. She smiled strangely at Sandra.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, sweetheart; it'll all be over soon." She said in a sickly sweet voice. I held in a shudder. Sandra smiled awkwardly. The bell over the door jingled and the mechanic walked in, I think his name was Jeep. He headed straight for Bob and they began to talk in heated whispers. Occasionally they glanced at the Andersons, but I noticed that Jeep kept one eye trained on the creepy old lady. I didn't blame him. Charlie walked out and placed a bloody red steak in front of Gladys along with a glass of water. The flies immediately began buzzing toward the steak, and Charlie tried unsuccessfully to wave them off.

"Thank you, dear, how far along are you?" I heard Gladys say sweetly.

"Oh, almost there," Charlie said, patting her swollen belly.

"The father must be so proud." Gladys said.

"I wouldn't know." Charlie replied.

"You mean he's…"Gladys said, voice sad.

"Out of sight. Out of mind." Charlie said nonchalantly.

"I see. So, you're not married I take it." Gladys replied.

"Nope." Charlie said with a shake of her head. Gladys began to really dig into her steak. It was honestly surprising, the amount of ferociousness she put into it, despite the flies that were still landing on her and in her hair.

"That's too bad." She said.

"Nah, I prefer it that way. I don't need a man around tellin' me what to do." Charlie said, still trying to wave away the flies accumulating around Gladys.

"But what about the baby?" Gladys asked, her voice seeming concerned.

"Oh, I've got that under control." Charlie said, waving away the woman's concern.

"But it's gonna burn." Gladys said. Her voice hadn't changed from that sweet old lady voice, but the words that left her mouth nearly made me drop my drink. Charlie froze where she stood, and the Andersons and Kyle looked at her incredulous.

"What did you just say?" Charlie asked, voice laced with anger. Gladys smiled widely.

"I said your fucking baby is gonna burn." She said, just as sweetly. Charlie shook her head.

"Go to hell, lady." She said, slamming the check down on the table and quickly retreating from the lady's table.

"What happened?" I heard Bob ask as she passed.

"Total fucking Jesus freak!" Charlie ranted vehemently, retreating back into the kitchen. I watched as Gladys began to laugh innocently as she devoured her steak. The red juice dripped down her chin and the flies continued to swarm.

"All those babies are gonna burn." She said sweetly.

"Now, Gladys, come on. There's no need to-" Sandra began. Gladys cut her off.

"Shut up you stupid fucking cunt! All you do is complain, complain, complain!" Gladys yelled. Her voice had a creepy sort of echo like quality. It was unnatural. I shuddered. Howard stood, enraged, and began to walk towards her. Without a second thought, I was out of my seat and pulling him back.

"Something tells me you don't wanna get close to that bitch, mister." I said quietly, pulling him back towards his wife. I couldn't stop him from yelling.

"Who the hell do you think you are, lady?" He yelled as I pulled him back. "I'd like you to apologize to my wife!"

I forced him into the seat and turned to look at the old lady. She was staring at me strangely as if just seeing me for the first time. A sick grin twisted her face. Her mouth was much too big, and filled with tiny shark teeth. Her eyes were open too wide, showing nearly all of the white. I shuddered.

"You're all gonna fucking die!" She screamed, jaw opening wide. Percy was the first to react as she walked towards us. He threw a cast iron frying pan at her, hitting her square in the jaw and breaking her neck. She didn't fall. She didn't so much as twitch, she simply turned her head back to look first at him, then at me. With an inhuman scream, she charged across the diner, flipping chairs and tables in her wake. Bob pulled out a shot gun from behind the bar.

"Don't move." He growled, aiming at her. Gladys ignored him and ran up the fucking wall like some sort of deranged mutant spider. She rushed at him across the ceiling, upside down. Bob shot several times, leaving a path of holes in the ceiling, but missing her every time. She dropped down in front of him and gave him a sickening smile before smacking him. He flew clear across the room. The shotgun flew through the air and clattered to the floor at Jeep's feet. He snatched it up and aimed at Gladys who was still smiling sweetly. She turned to walk calmly towards him.

"Shoot her, Jeep!" Percy exclaimed. Jeep's hands were hesitant as he aimed at the woman. He was just about to fire when the lady got even freakier. Her eyes went completely white.

"You'll never save her." She said, still in that sickly sweet voice. Jeep began to shudder, eyes going wide and standing paralyzed by his gripping fear.

"Shoot the fucking bitch, Jeep!" Percy roared.

Gladys rocketed straight for him, and Jeep closed his eyes, bracing for the end. I jumped at the sound of gun fire and turned to stare at Kyle. Smoke was still rising from the barrel of his Western Arms 45. Gladys lay in a bloody heap at Jeep's feet, three bullet holes in her back. What the fuck the guy doing with a gun like that, I found really hard to care about at that particular moment. I turned to Howard, who was cowering in the booth next to where I still stood.

"Now, aren't you glad I didn't let you go over there?" I said, surprised by how calm I sounded. He only nodded dumbly at me. His wife looked at me in gratitude, and I turned to meet his daughter's grateful stare as well as the shocked looks on my foster parents' faces. I watched Charlie help a bruised and bleeding Bob to his feet.

"The fuck was that?" He exclaimed, "What the fuck was that?" Unsteadily, I walked back over to the booth where my parents were sitting and collapsed into the seat.

"Only God knows what the hell that was, Bob." I said tiredly.

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><p><strong>I know that it is short compared to the chapters of my other stories, but I promise it will get better and have longer chapters.<strong>

**As always, review with any comments, questions, or suggestions. And, I could always use characters, so if you would like to be in the story, shoot me a message with an idea and I'll see what I can do. Or, if you have an idea for something to happen in the story, do the same thing. **

**~Shadow Wolf (Formerly known as xXPsychoXx)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Finally, I'm back with another update to this story. Thanks to all of you who reviewed and Favorited or Alerted, getting those e-mails made my day, and kept me writing even when I was attacked by writer's block. **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Legion or any of the characters or ideas associated with it. I DO, however, own Tristana and her family so please no stealing my characters. **

**Enjoy the story and please review with constructive criticism or helpful ideas to stave off any possibility of writer's block.**

Fallen

A Legion Fanfic by xXShadow-Wolf13Xx

Chapter Two

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><p>"Tristana Kyrie Eldritch, what in the world were you thinking?" My foster mother said, finally finding her voice.<p>

"First off, I think I just saved this guys neck." I said, pointing to Howard, "Can you imagine what that woman would have done if he had gone over there? Nobody got hurt, so don't go off on me, please." I brushed my bright red bangs from my green eyes and glanced at her. She nodded with a sigh.

"I'm sorry dear; I'm just really shook up." She said. I smiled slightly.

"I know Kiara." I said. I ignored her disappointed look at my use of her first name.

"Let's get this bitch's body outta here." Kyle said, walking towards the prone body of the old woman. With the help of Bob and Jeep, he carried it outside and put it somewhere, hopefully as far from the diner as possible. Before they came back inside, I caught sight of an LAPD cruiser fishtailing into the parking lot.

A wary smile graced my face as I rushed out to join the guys as they greeted the man stepping from the car. I was surprised by the man's appearance. He didn't look like any cop I had ever seen.

He was dressed in dark pants and a t-shirt with a dark coat over it. Black boots encased his feet and his hair was a dark shade of blonde and cropped closely to his head. He had piercing blue eyes that I could swear saw right down into my soul. Bob leveled his shot gun at the man.

"Lemme see your teeth." He said. The man looked at him calmly.

"Is this how you greet all of your customers?" He asked. Bob continued to glare at the man and repeated his request. The man revealed his teeth in a smile that seemed to be more of a grimace.

"No shark teeth pop." Jeep said. Bob dropped his gun.

"What's your name?" Bob asked.

"Michael." The man replied.

"Sorry about that, Michael, we just had this old lady go crazy in my place. Had these teeth, like nothing I've ever seen." He said, "You sure don't look like a cop, not even one from LA, but you must be right? Who'd be crazy enough to steal a cop car?" Michael just looked at him for a moment.

"You don't know, do you?" He said. Bob leveled the gun at him again, fixing a wary glare on him.

"Alright, start talking or just get the hell outta here." Bob said. In one swift movement, Michael had approached Bob and taken the gun from him, placing the barrel against Bob's head. Bob froze, clenching his eyes shut.

"Dad!" Jeep yelled.

"Whoa there, mister, now I know you don't wanna go spilling innocent blood in front of all these good people. Why don't you just put that gun down and you can be on your way, nice and easy like." Percy said as he came out of the diner, holding his hand and hook up in a non-threatening manner. Michael glanced at him, then, looked off into the distance.

"They're coming." He said. He pulled the gun away from Bob's head and thrust it back into his hands. "You're going to need that."

"Who's coming?" I asked. He looked at me for a moment as he opened the trunk of the police cruiser.

"More like her." He answered. I shuddered at the thought as he pulled out a practical arsenal of guns and a duffle bag full of what I assumed was ammunition. He thrust a gun into Jeep's hands as well as Kyle's and Percy's.

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Bob said as Jeep grasped the gun.

"Don't worry Dad, I can handle it." Jeep said.

"He can handle it, he doesn't have a choice." Michael said, leaving no room for argument. He walked over to where Charlie and I were standing. He handed her a small hand gun.

"Don't do anything brave." He told her. I smirked and grabbed one of the remaining three machine guns. He looked at me for a moment, one eyebrow raised in question.

"Trust me, I can handle it." I said. He nodded slightly before continuing on into the diner. Audrey and her family were just about to come outside when he met them at the door. He said something to them and they went back inside followed by him. We followed them inside and closed the door firmly behind us. My foster parents caught sight of me holding the machine gun and I thought Kiara was going to have a heart attack.

"We need to barricade all of the windows and doors." Michael said. I went to help as Jeep, Michael, Kyle, Bob, and Percy got to work, but was stopped by the grip Alexander, my foster father, had on my shoulder. The leather of my biker jacket creaked as his hand clenched.

"Just what do you think you are doing with that gun, young lady?" He asked in his most imposing lawyer voice. I locked my gaze with his. He shuddered slightly under the intensity of my pale green eyes. Most found them unnerving, and he was no exception.

"I refuse to be defenseless when whatever is coming next shows up. You know damn well that I know how to use this thing Alexander because you are the one who paid for me to have that gun range membership." I said in my warm alto voice. He winced at the harshness of my words.

Ignoring both him and Kiara, I wrenched myself from his grasp and went over to aid the others in any way that I could. I straightened my jacket and the cropped black wife beater that I wore beneath it as I set the machine gun on the counter. I pulled two of the belts that I had worn around my waist and tightened them around my upper thighs on both legs so that they wrapped around the leg twice creating a perfect holster for a pistol.

I picked the machine gun back up, and after making sure that the safety was still on, held it loosely in my right hand. All of the windows and doors had been boarded up or blocked off, and now we all stood around Michael waiting for him to say what else needed to be done.

I noticed the duffle bag near the bar and quickly went over to it. After a few minutes of rifling around in it, I found two magnums and slipped them into the holsters I had placed on each thigh. I also shoved several magazines of ammo into the pockets of my leather biker jacket.

After the turn of the day's events, I found myself oddly pleased that I always had the hunting knife my ex had given me tucked away in my knee height combat boots. I returned to the rest of the group just as Michael was beginning to explain what needed to be done.

A roar of engines kicked up outside, and my gaze shot towards the windows which were boarded up tightly. I could faintly see light seeping beneath the door. My foster parents were huddled in a corner, clinging to each other. They were no fighters.

Sandra and Howard were in a similar position, huddled and shaking beneath a booth table. Audrey was standing between Kyle and Percy, holding a brave face even as her body trembled. I stood almost directly in front of Michael, Percy to my left and Jeep to my right.

Suddenly, we were thrown into darkness. The power had gone out. I heard a scream, Kiara. We were bathed in total darkness, chaos; I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face.

"Jeep, get the flashlights." I heard Bob shout from somewhere to my right. Felt movement from beside me.

"Everybody just stay still." Percy's calming voice sounded from my left.

"What the fuck are we supposed to do, now that we're locked in here?" I heard Kyle say from somewhere further left.

Light flickered in my peripheral vision. My head pounded as the brilliant beam of a flashlight swept across my face and came to rest on Michael's face. He looked towards the ceiling.

"We need to get on the roof." He stated, his voice authoritative, his unusual accent made his voice too compelling to ignore.

I watched as Bob led the way up to the roof, Kyle, Percy, and Michael following behind him. Not too long after they had left the room, the roaring of engines died down. The only sound was the wind rushing across the desert. I shuddered.

I wanted to know what the hell was going on out there, but not nearly enough to risk looking out. All of a sudden, a faint sound began to distinguish itself from the rushing wind. My eyes widened incredulously.

"Is that what I think it is?" I asked no one in particular.

"Sounds like…ice cream?" Charlie said, it came out as more of a question than anything. I couldn't blame her for her confusion. It just didn't make sense.

I saw the Andersons perk up, glancing around in confusion at the sound. Alexander and Kiara were no different. Audrey looked to me, trying to gauge my reaction to the sound. I shook my head, showing her that I knew nothing more than she did.

The sound drew ever closer, until finally, we heard the crunch of gravel beneath tires as the source of the music pulled up in front of the diner. Jeep and I shared a look. I could see the MP5 shaking in his grip as he stood awkwardly in front of the door. I could tell he was trying to look tough, but with his constant shaking it was far from believable.

I took up position next to him, facing the boarded up door. I took up a stance; legs shoulder width apart and center of gravity low, ready for anything. Charlie and Audrey were kneeling in one of the booths, carefully peering through the slats on one of the windows. The glare from the ice cream truck's lights streaked across the dark diner. I was thankful it didn't cross my vision.

I saw Charlie and Audrey back slowly away from the window in my peripheral vision. Charlie paused on Jeep's other side, resting a hand briefly on his arm. His shaking subsided a little, but he was still trembling.

All was silent outside, except for that annoying, eerie tune, until after several moments an inhuman howl pierced the night. I clenched my eyes shut against the pain the sound had caused to my sensitive ears. If Hell had a sound, it would've been that.

Gunshots followed soon after the howl. The only sound left was that damn music. But not for long, soon the sound of music was drowned out by a roaring of many engines. More light began to filter through the boarded windows and beneath the door.

The night echoed with the sounds of rapid gunfire accompanied by the metallic pings of the bullets hitting cars and the explosions of cars colliding with other cars. It sounded like pure chaos out there.

I saw Sandra pressing her hands against her ears to block out the sound, eyes clenched tightly. Howard had curled around her, almost shielding her completely with his body. Audrey's fingers were clamped tightly around the handle of a butcher's knife not too far away, knuckles so white they were practically glowing. I couldn't see Charlie, I assumed she was hunkered down somewhere out of sight.

Jeep and I divided our attentions between the windows and the door, making sure that we would know as soon as anything was close to getting in. Alexander and Kiara hadn't moved much from their huddled position, but I could tell she was cowering even further into his chest. She flinched at each sound.

Before we could react, a dark shape careened through the window with a crash. Audrey, Sandra, and Kiara released ear piercing screams. I fought the urge to yell at them. Charlie sprung from her hiding place, Glock aimed and eyes searching the darkness frantically.

Jeep too was gazing frantically into the darkness, searching for his target. I strained my ears, trying to hear the slightest movement around me, peering into the darkness.

"Where is it!" Jeep exclaimed. I shook my head.

"Mom! Open your eyes!" I heard Audrey yell.

"I can't, I can't!" Her mother sobbed.

I heard swift movement, and a masculine yell.

"Howard!"

"Dad!"

Sandra and Audrey's voices harmonized as they yelled. The two women grabbed onto Howards arms fighting the pull of whatever had grabbed his legs. He was kicking and screaming, half out of the window. Jeep rushed over to help. Charlie tried to but I grabbed her wrist.

"You are in no condition. Stay here." I said forcefully, making my way over and using my free hand to grab hold of Howard's collar. I pulled, but whatever was on the other side had inhuman strength.

"See what you've made me do, Mother!" A deep, demonic female voice growled. I looked up and met the creature's eyes. It paused and stared at me, for God knows what reason. I leveled my gun and shot it between the eyes. The creature went limp and fell back, but before we could pull Howard back in, another person had grabbed him. Another soon joined in, and we could hold him no longer. With a yell, he was gone.

"HOWARD!" Sandra screamed, trying to leap through the window. Jeep caught her and pulled her back.

At some point in time Charlie had moved until she was right behind me, and another one of those creatures, a demented old man, was reaching in the window.

"There you are." It hissed, reaching in and clamping his hand around Charlie's wrist. She screamed and clawed at the hand, her gun falling to the floor. I grabbed her arm and held her as firmly as I could, but with the effort it took to fight against the creature, I couldn't get a clear shot on the thing.

There was a flash of metal and an inhuman shriek. Charlie and I both fell back when the force we were fighting disappeared. With a disgusted noise she pried the hand from her wrist.

Michael was standing a little ways away, Audrey's discarded butcher's knife in one hand, machine gun in the other. He shot up everything in his path, his gunfire creating a sweeping wall of fire across the windows. Inhuman shrieks echoed as the creatures outside either died or fled.

I stood, and surveyed the room. Audrey was huddled in a corner, tears falling from her tightly closed eyes. My parents were staring, eyes wide with fear. Charlie was still sitting on the ground, massaging her abused wrist. Jeep was still fighting with a hysterical Sandra.

Charlie began pulling herself to her feet. I reached out to steady her when she winced, clutching her stomach.

"You okay?" I asked lowly. She nodded, panting slightly.

"I'm fine." She said to me. I nodded and released her. She turned her attention to Michael.

"Thanks…" She said. He nodded slightly.

"All right, we got 'em on the run!" Kyle exclaimed as he entered the room. He stopped short when he noticed the tension in the room. Bob and Percy were behind, both still shaking from the adrenaline.

"Where's Howard?" Kyle asked. Sandra collapsed into tears, no longer able to fight.

"Someone needs to be on the roof." Michael said.

"I'll go." Kyle volunteered. He began to leave, but was stopped by Bob grabbing onto his arm.

"Hold on," Bob said, looking directly at Michael, "you better start talking."

We all turned our attention to Michael.

"It's time for you to explain just what the Hell that was out there." Bob said, releasing Kyle and walking up to Michael. For once, I couldn't agree more.

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><p><strong>I know that it is short compared to the chapters of my other stories, but I promise it will get better and have longer chapters.<strong>

**As always, review with any comments, questions, or suggestions. And, I could always use characters, so if you would like to be in the story, shoot me a message with an idea and I'll see what I can do. Or, if you have an idea for something to happen in the story, do the same thing. **

**~Shadow Wolf **


	3. Chapter 3

**After celebrating my eighteenth birthday, I was inspired to do a lot more writing. So here I am with chapter three, and as promised it is longer than the last one. **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Legion or any of the characters or ideas associated with it. I DO, however, own Tristana and her family so please no stealing my characters. **

**Enjoy the story and please review with constructive criticism or helpful ideas to stave off any possibility of writer's block.**

Fallen

A Legion Fanfic by xXShadow-Wolf13Xx

Chapter Three

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><p>"The first time God lost faith in Man, he sent a flood. The second time…he sent what you saw outside." Michael finally said. I stood there, staring at him. The room was filled with shocked silence.<p>

"You sayin' that this is the Apocalypse…?" Percy asked after a moment.

"I'm saying this is an extermination." Michael said. He paused, allowing us to take in what he had just said. "Those things out there are vessels, The Possessed. The weakest willed are the easiest to turn."

"Possessed? Possessed by what? Demons?" Kyle asked, voice skeptic.

"No…by angels." Michael said. My eyes widened. The room was once again filled with tangible, shocked silence. Percy pulled out his Bible and pointed it at Michael.

"Son, I don't know what Bible you been readin', but in my version, the angels are the good guys." He said, his voice full of conviction. Michael met his gaze.

"That's where your book is wrong." He said simply, forcefully. I sucked in a breath.

"How come you know so much about them?" Sandra asked. He looked at her.

"I know because until last night, I was on their side." He said. She drew back, shock covering her tear streaked face.

"You mean you're…" Jeep began, voice fading to nothing as shock filtered into his gaze.

"The Archangel Michael, general of His armies." I breathed, finishing Jeep's sentence. Michael considered us, looking first at Jeep, then me.

"Not anymore…" He said, a tinge of longing in his voice.

To have been an angel, welcomed in the shining realms of God, to have given it all up for humans, most of who didn't even care. I couldn't imagine the pain he must've felt, how homesick he must've been, stuck there in that rundown old diner. I felt the urge to run to him and envelop him in a hug, but held it back, questioning myself on where that insane desire had even come from.

"Right and yesterday I was the fuckin' Easter Bunny." Bob said, "You know what, fuck this. I don't even believe in God anyway." I glared over at Bob. What, did he believe that two atoms exploded in space and we just appeared?

"That's just fine Bob, because He doesn't believe in you either." Michael said, surprising me with the pain laced with his words. Bob stared at Michael, speechless.

"C'mon, Bob, have you looked outside recently? Those aren't exactly our regular customers out there." Percy said, resigning to the fact that it truly was the end of the world.

"How do we know he didn't bring them here himself?" Bob snapped. I dropped my head into my palm and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Yeah, so he brings them here, then, he turns around and saves us from them? You're a genius, Bob." Charlie said, words dripping with sarcasm. Bob once again fell silent, a confused look crossing his face. Audrey hesitantly stepped forward.

"So, you're here to protect us?" She asked. He shook his head.

"Not you…" He said with a sad but determined voice. He looked up at Charlie. "Her."

Charlie's eyes widened and she took a step back. Her mouth dropped open in shock as all of us turned to look at her.

"Me? Why me!" She asked.

"Because your child is the only hope humanity has of surviving." Michael said as if it were the simplest thing in the universe. A near hysteric stream of giggles escaped Charlie's lips.

"No way!" She exclaimed, clearly denying the possibility. It was obvious that Michael was not joking and her laughter turned to sheer fear, her eyes widening and a low whimper slipping past her lips.

"Jesus Christ…" She breathed in shock.

"Exactly." Michael stated.

Jeep turned to stare at Charlie, understanding lighting in his eyes even as I turned my gaze to Michael, wondering just what about us he thought was worth saving. What he thought was worth giving up Paradise for.

"So, you saying that _she's_ the mother of the Messiah?" Jeep asked in wonder.

"Wait a minute, isn't Mary supposed to be a vir…" Bob began. I could sense the pointed comment he had been trying to make even as Charlie interrupted him.

"Go fuck yourself, Bob!" She snapped. I chuckled lightly and a slight smile quirked Bob's lips. If he was trying to lighten the mood, he at least partially succeeded.

"Makes you wonder about Mary." Percy said, continuing the slight joke. I smirked in amusement at the older man's sense of humor. Charlie took a step towards Michael, shock etched on her features.

"Look, this is not possible! I'm just a waitress! I'm nobody! I can't give birth to the Savior of Mankind!" She said, "I don't even own a car!"

"None of that matters anymore. Either your child lives, or Mankind dies." Michael said with a sad shake of his head. I glanced between the two. She only looked to be eight months pregnant. Did he actually expect us to wait this out for an entire month?

"So what, we're supposed to just hold these things off until Mary over there squeezes one out?" Kyle asked, incredulous. Though crude in his phrasing, Kyle had just voiced the same thoughts that had plagued my own mind.

"That's right." Michael replied simply. I stared.

""Th-that can't be." Charlie said, voice nearing frantic once more. I turned to look at her, not liking her tone. "I'm only eight months pregnant."

"You have got to be kidding me!" I said. Staring at her open mouthed.

"Oh shit, we're fucked. We are so fucked!" Kyle said, throwing his hands up.

"How are we supposed to live here for a month?" Sandra asked, appalled that anyone expected her to live in these conditions. I scoffed quietly.

"We won't have to." Michael said. Again my eyes widened as I watched Charlie go as white as a sheet.

"It's coming soon, isn't it?" She breathed as the realization sunk in.

With a metallic clank, Michael re-armed his weapon and turned to look at us.

"If you want to live, you'll do as I say. This first attack was a test of our strength. The next, will be a test of our weakness." He said. "Something much worse is on its way."

I shuddered as my foster parents cowered beside me. Charlie and Jeep exchanged fearful looks. Even Bob and Percy looked a little worse for wear. Finally, Kyle stepped up.

"Okay, so what's your plan?" He asked Michael.

"We'll keep watch on the roof in shifts of two. Jeep, go get some tools. We need to close up this window before somebody else goes through." Michael replied.

Jeep looked anxiously at Charlie, fear flickering in his silent gaze, before followed after Michael. The rest of us were left staring at the jagged remains of the broken window. The blinds whipped wildly in the cold wind of the desert night. Percy and Kyle left silently, filing up onto the roof to keep watch.

Sandra moved to sit at the bar, pulling a prescription bottle from her purse and spilling half of it's contents across the counter. Bob stood at the grill, nervously rolling a tarnished silver Zippo between the fingers of his left hand while he busied himself grilling up a few steaks. He paused occasionally to take a deep slug of his beer. He couldn't seem to drink it down fast enough, and I couldn't really blame him.

My foster parents had returned to the corner booth, huddled closely together. They weren't wired to go through stuff like this. He was a lawyer, she was a model. This was just supposed to be a quick drive to L.A. The movers had already taken all of our stuff up to the new house Alexander's employers had bought for us.

Audrey was helping Charlie gather up the bits of shattered glass on the floor. Doing anything to take their minds off of the Hell that had taken over outside.

I wandered over to the bar and took a seat, leaning my back against the counter and looking out into the darkness. Sporadic flashes of light decorated the horizon. I shuddered with each one, wondering just what they meant.

Bob turned around to look at Sandra. He must've seen something in her eyes, because he turned around and placed a beer on the counter in front of her.

"On the house," He said simply, turning back around to tend to the steaks. I heard her muttered thanks as she took a sip.

"You hungry?" He asked her. She shook her head sadly.

"Couldn't if my life depended on it." She said. I shook my head.

"Well, I figure, just cuz the world's comin' to its eng doesn't mean a man's gotta go hungry." Bob said. I chuckled lightly.

"Hear, hear." I said, lifting my invisible glass. I heard his light chuckle at my antics and smiled. Too bad it didn't reach Sandra. I watched her take another small sip of her beer; she looked to be in thought for a moment.

"Never much cared for beer." She said lightly, setting the can down. "Howard's the beer drinker in the family."

I watched the curtain of grief descend over her eyes as the words left her mouth. Saw her resolve crumble down into nothing, she was breaking. She gathered a few pills from the counter and tossed them into her mouth, downing gulping down her beer like her life depended on it. The tears began to pour. She was losing this battle.

My heart ached for the woman, but I couldn't bring myself to do anything. I could offer no condolences. How do you know how to mourn something you've never had?

Finished cleaning the bits of glass, Audrey moved to sit in one of the vacant booths farthest from the gaping window. Static filled the room as she fiddled with Percy's old radio, twisting the dials back and forth. We all listened for anything, but received nothing but more static.

I returned my attention to the front of the diner where Jeep and Michael had emerged. Jeep was helping him nail planks of wood across the opening, holding them steady as Michael pounded the nails into the wood. I noticed Jeep looking intently at something on Michael's arms. I took notice of the two jagged wounds I could see peeking over the top of his shirt line near his shoulder blades.

Itching for something to do, I slipped from the stool I had perched on and made my way over to the pair.

"Can I help with anything?" I asked. The two nodded. Jeep held one side of the boards while I held the other, allowing Michael to hammer them in faster without having to make sure everything stayed steady and level.

"What….what made you leave?" Jeep asked Michael after a few moments of working in silence. I listened eagerly, wanting to know just what Michael saw in us that was worth giving up paradise for.

"I was given an order that I didn't believe in…" He said quietly. We both looked at him. "He lost faith. I hadn't." He drove the last nail into place, securing the window. I looked up at him.

"So, what happens to you…when this is all over?" I asked. He paused locking gazes with me, his steely grey-blue eyes searching my pale green gaze.

"Sometimes we have to face the thing we fear the most to be free of it." He said cryptically. I watched him pick up his gun.

"It's almost time for the next shift." He said, ending the conversation. I looked after him for a moment, glancing over at Jeep who appeared to be deep in thought. I scooped up my MP5 and followed after Michael. I couldn't stay sitting in here any longer.

Michael stood on one side of the roof, searching the horizon for any signs of movement in front of the diner. I stood facing the back, doing the same. My MP5 hung loosely in my grasp. Thoughts fluttered through my racing mind. The urge to ask Michael just what he saw in us was nearly overwhelming. I didn't want to intrude on his privacy, though, so I tried my hardest to refrain. I focused my mind on protecting the others, those sleeping in the building below me. My foster parents, Audrey, Sandra, Percy, Jeep, Charlie, Kyle, they were what was important.

I heard a faint sound carried on the wind. A voice that belonged to a man who was dead.

"Michael!" I said, quiet but urgent. He turned to me.

"Listen, its Howard, I think they've begun the second test." I said. He nodded grimly.

"You stay up here and keep watch, Michael. I'll go down and make sure no one goes outside." I said. He nodded after a moment's hesitation.

"Be careful, Tristana." He said. I nodded.

"I'll send Percy and Bob up to take your place." I tossed over my shoulder before leaving the roof.

I raced downstairs, my pace quickening when I heard Sandra's tired voice mutter Howard's name. I arrived just as Kyle and Audrey had been tossed aside by the frantic Sandra as she tried to get outside.

"Percy," I said when I he came up behind me. "Go wake up Bob and head up to the roof to relieve Michael. I'll see about handling whatever is going on down here." He nodded hesitantly and turned to go back the way he came.

After checking to see that Audrey and Kyle were okay, I raced towards Sandra who had just gotten the door open. The bright light blinded me for a split-second before I raced after her.

I tried to ignore the sight of Howard, hanging on an upside down cross and covered with pus-filled boils. I reached for Sandra's hand, managing to grab her sleeve, but I was too late. The boils covering Howard exploded, covering Sandra in whatever had been in them. She screamed and stopped struggling. I grimaced and quickly pulled her back inside the diner. Audrey and Michael were standing, waiting in the doorway, Kyle stood slightly behind them.

As I moved further into the room, I became aware that Jeep and Charlie were also standing towards the back of the room. I released Sandra's sleeve and she collapsed to the ground. I ignored her and went about shutting the door and placing the desk back in front of it while the others crowded around her. I was torn from the task by Audrey's anguished sob. I quickly turned around. The sight before me was horrible.

Audrey had collapsed next to what was left of Sandra. The pus that had filled the boils must've had some acidic quality, because the flesh of Sandra's face, torso, arms, and legs, was completely burned away to the point that her bones were visible. I covered my mouth with my hands to muffle my shocked gasp. The others were standing there staring in complete shock.

"I'm so sorry, Audrey." I breathed, going over to her and pulling her shaking form into an embrace. She couldn't have been any older than I was, but in that moment she was nothing more than a child in need of comfort. She whimpered and clung to me. I held her tighter.

My gaze found Michael's stormy eyes and I quickly glanced at Sandra's body before looking to the open door. He nodded slightly in understanding. He, Jeep, and Kyle moved the body while Charlie and I comforted the still sobbing Audrey. I felt horrible for the poor girl. In little under a day, she had been orphaned. At least I had the luxury of never knowing my parents; I had been given up when I was born.

"Come on, Audrey let's get you out of here. I'm sure you're starving." Charlie said. I nodded and began to pull the girl to her feet. She clung to me, and I held her as I guided her out of the office and back into the main dining area of the restaurant.

I sat her down in the booth where Percy's old radio was. Grasping onto the idea of something to do, she focused her watery, bloodshot eyes on the radio and began to twist the knobs, searching the stations for anything of use.

Charlie stood behind the counter, scrounging up some sort of breakfast food for us to eat. I think she too was just doing anything to be doing something. Bob and Percy were still on the roof. Kyle had just returned from helping Jeep and Michael move Sandra's body. He looked sadly over at Audrey before moving to join her at the booth. I smiled, he may have been several years older than her, but she needed someone right now, and he seemed like he knew enough about dysfunctional families to be able to help her.

I saw Michael walk in and lean against the wall. Every now and then he would glance over at Charlie. It wasn't a creepy stare, more of the stare of a father making sure that his daughter was always within his sight so that he knew she was okay and protected.

I was pulled from my musings as Audrey's voice rang out through the room.

"Hey…Hey, you guys! I think I got something here!" She exclaimed, motioning to the radio. We listened close. There was in fact a voice coming from the speakers, it crackled slightly but was clear enough to be understood. Alexander and Kiara rushed over and crowded around the radio, greedily drinking up the words being spoken. Charlie and Jeep had also dropped what they were doing and gathered around the radio. Michael and I stood towards the back of the group and listened to the tired, gravelly voice of the broadcaster. He sounded strained beyond belief as he spoke, but who wouldn't be. At least he was still broadcasting at all.

"... battling has been fierce. The numbers of casualties are unknown but all indications are that they must be unimaginably large." The voice said sounding worn down. "If you're just joining us, we're getting some of the first bits of good news, if you can call it that, since this apocalypse began just twenty-four ago. A human militia has formed on the outskirts of Las Vegas and has begun to engage the enemy. Also down in the Four Corners area, we've been receiving unconfirmed reports of another resistance force gathering in Red Rock National in the northern Mojave Desert area."

His words were the first glimpses of hope we had had since Michael showed up in his stolen police cruiser.

"Red Ridge…" Jeep said quietly, as if he was reluctant to believe such good news.

"That can't be more than an hour up the highway from here." Charlie added, hopeful.

"Does that mean we can leave now?" Audrey asked with a small, but hopeful light in her watery eyes. Michael shook his head from beside me.

"No, we aren't going anywhere." He said with an air of finality.

"What the hell are you talking about? This is our chance!" Alexander said indignantly, standing and turning to stare Michael in the face. I sighed; he had slipped into lawyer mode again. His eyes were focused and his mouth was set in a no nonsense scowl.

"We can't risk being on the move when the child comes. It's too dangerous." Michael said, his tone brooking no arguments.

Alexander looked over to Kiara, an air of defeat causing his shoulders to sag. Charlie, who had also been looking on hopeful to leave, glared heatedly at Michael. She swept several plates from the counter and stormed out of the room heading for the bathroom. I dropped my gaze to the floor. The voice still crackled from the speakers.

"... And as we fight this new enemy, may God give us the strength to survive and show mercy for those of us who are already lost..."

I shook my head and sighed tiredly. Were we really worth saving? We waited until the end of the world to pray for salvation. What was there to believe in? I looked up at Michael, standing there cool, collected. His eyes were like storm clouds tinged with blue light. His lightly tanned skin was mostly covered in tattoos, and he looked worn down. A man who had seen more that any could hope to see in just one lifetime. And yet here he stood, defying God Himself, to save a people whom had all but forgotten what it meant to truly worship and love God.

I stared sadly down at my worn boots. When had we strayed so far?

Charlie stayed in the bathroom for a long while. Long enough for most of us to have eaten, and some of us had even begun to drift off to sleep. Alexander and Kiara were curled up on the floor beneath one of the unused booths, his arm curled protectively around her slender frame. Audrey had fallen asleep with her torso sprawled across the table of the booth she was sitting in, arms folded beneath her head. Kyle was sitting beside her, head back against the cushion as he slept. Bob and Percy were up on the roof, keeping watch still. Jeep had run off not too long after Charlie, trying to find something to distract himself most likely. I sat on the counter, legs swaying, glancing up at Michael every now and then. He was leaning against the wall across from me, head tilted back and eyes closed.

I watched the dust motes dance in the staggered light that filtered through the gaps beneath the door and the boards on the windows. The bright light of a desert noon telling me there were only twelve hours now until my eighteenth birthday. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I fixed my gaze on Michael's deceptively calm frame.

"What's so special about us that you would do this to save us, Michael? What made you keep the faith?" I asked. I was desperately curious. His eyes opened and he settled his gaze on me, considering me.

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><p><strong>Well, there you have it, chapter three. I'm pretty proud of it if I do say so myself. I've been trying to stay as true to the movie as I can while still having my own twists and plot turns. <strong>

**Thanks to all of you who have reviewed and added this story to your favorites or alerts. Just hang with me, soon you'll find out just what is so special about Tristana.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, so this one is a little shorter than last chapter, but I will have you know that this weekend you'll be getting a bonus update. So that means you'll be getting chapter five sooner than normal. Yay!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Legion or any of the characters or ideas associated with it. I DO, however, own Tristana and her family so please no stealing my characters. **

**Enjoy the story and please review with constructive criticism or helpful ideas to stave off any possibility of writer's block.**

Fallen

A Legion Fanfic by xXShadow-Wolf13Xx

Chapter Four

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><p>"When He chose Humanity to be the center of His love and devotion, I was the first in all of Heaven to bow before you." He began to explain, "My love and hope for you ran just as deeply as His. My faith was unshakeable." I met his deep gaze.<p>

"When He lost faith, I did not; I knew that it was not Humanity's end. You were simply lost, not beyond help. For ages I have watched humans quarrel amongst themselves over land, and power, and greed. But even in such terrible darkness there were those that would not be bowed. Those that refused to lose faith and give up." He said. "I saw you, barely even able to walk, tossed from foster home to foster home, and orphanage to orphanage, but still you refused to lose faith. There was not a day you were not praying for friends, family, and even those guardians who beat you and scarred you. You spent a life time ignoring your own sorrow in favor of others, and never once blamed God. I saw Jeep, fifteen years old and his mother left, he spent the next five years of his life bringing his father back onto the right path."

I stared open mouthed at him. There was a kindness in his harsh eyes that softened his worn face, and for an instant I could see the angel he was. I smiled slightly at him.

"You, you and Jeep are what give me hope for Humanity. The reason I have come here." He said. I stared at him a moment longer, completely at a loss for words. Finally, I yawned widely, the lack of sleep for the past several hours finally catching up to me.

"Sleep, you need it." He said gently. I nodded with a tired sigh and made myself comfortable on the countertop, pillowing my head on my arms.

"You know, you're not the only one who's suffered, Charlie. A girl just became an orphan in the span of twenty-four hours. The whole world is crashing around us. People are dead, Charlie. Let me know when you stop feelin' sorry for yourself." I was roused from my sleep by Jeep's angry words. Heard him storm off to the back room.

I lifted my head from my arms and saw Charlie sitting in the booth just in from of the one Kyle and Audrey are curled together in. She sat staring wide eyed in shock after him. I smiled lightly; he finally stood up for himself and gave her just what she needed. Good for him.

I sat up and stretched, legs dangling off the counter. It had to be late afternoon to early evening by now, probably nearing time for the next watch. I hopped from my perch and went to find Jeep. He was hunched over the desk in front of the back door.

"Hey, we should go up to the roof and relieve them of their watch. It's Kyle's turn, but he's asleep right now and I don't have the heart to wake him." I said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Besides you look like you could use a distraction."

He glanced at me over his shoulder and nodded.

"Yeah, thanks. Dad's probably fallin' asleep up there with Michael." He said with a slight chuckle. I smiled, glad that he was beginning to cheer up if only a little.

We emerged onto the roof and I was consumed with the sight of sand and wind. And endless plain of desert terrain bathed in muted oranges as the sun slowly began to sink away. Michael stood watching, ever vigilant, facing out towards the invisible setting sun. Bob was on the other side of the roof, slumped in his chair with an empty beer can by his feet. Jeep went to rouse his father. I walked up behind Michael.

"Kyle needs his rest; I'm going to take over in his place. Jeep is on the other side taking Bob's place." I said quietly, hand subconsciously tightening on my MP5 now that I was outside again. Michael nodded slightly.

"They'll be here soon. I can't tell how we will be tried this time, but it will not be easy, be careful." He said, meeting my eyes. I nodded.

"Take care of them downstairs. Don't let anyone do anything stupid." I said, meaning my self-absorbed foster parents. He nodded and left me to take over. I stared out over the front of the diner, the sign dead behind me and an empty, ever darkening wasteland stretching endlessly before me. I heard Bob shuffling tiredly behind me as he headed down from the roof.

"Get some rest, Bob, you need it." I said quietly without turning my gaze from the sight before me. He grunted and continued on his way. Soon, it was just me and Jeep. I could hear the light sound of his footsteps as he paced every now and then.

Suddenly, the sign flashed to life behind me. I could practically feel the thrumming energy beneath my feet as the diner came back to life.

"What the hell…"I trailed off, glancing behind me then scanning the horizon.

"Tristana, what's goin' on?" Jeep asked.

"I have no idea," I replied. "But something tells me it won't be good."

He shuffled around to stand next to me. We stared out over the desert. Soon, headlights appeared speeding towards the diner. We readied our guns, prepared for anything. A minivan pulled up to one of the pumps. A frantic man raced out and began fumbling to fill the car up.

"He looks..." Jeep began.

"Normal." I finished quietly. "That can't be it. Something else is coming."

"Look!" Jeep shouted, pointing off to the left. A veritable sea of headlights was heading for the diner. I could hear the pulse pounding riffs of punk music blared from jacked up sound systems.

"It's a trap. They lit it up to lure them here." I growled, angered by such underhanded play. I looked back towards the man. His frantic wife and kid were sitting in the car. "He can't see them. He needs help."

"What can we do?" Jeep asked.

"Hey, Mister! Get back in your damn car!" I yelled as loudly as I could, my voice echoed across the barren desert surrounding us. The man looked up. I pointed off to the side and he began to race back into his car. I sighed in relief. Too soon.

A large car collided with the van, causing the man to be thrown through the windshield. He lay motionless on the ground. His wife was in hysterics as punked out teens poured from the cars and flooded towards the van. I shot as many as I could but couldn't help for fear of shooting the woman. The little boy was crying, curled up into a ball on the sand as his mother was pulled apart.

"Damn it!" I cursed. "Keep watch from up here and don't you dare follow me."

Without waiting for a reply I jumped from the roof, landing on the ground in a crouch. Several demented gazes latched onto me. I sent volley after volley of gunfire into the heads of the Possessed. Finally, I got to the kid, the punks slowly closing ranks behind me. Quickly, I grabbed the kid by the arm. His soft sniffles began to become more identifiable. He was laughing.

"Fuck," I groaned as he looked up at me with black eyes.

"Fooled you," He growled, "you're gonna die now."

"Fuck you!" I growled back. The kid latched his jaws onto my arm just before I shot him. I hissed in pain and jerked my arm from his slack jaws. His dead body collapsed. I still had the issue of being surrounded by pissed off, possessed, punks.

"A little help would be nice Jeep!" I yelled, rounding on the closest freak and shooting it. I continued trying to clear a path to the door all the while blood was dripping down my right wrist.

I was almost there when my foot caught on something. I went down. My ankle was screaming in pain. I cursed and rolled over onto my back, shooting at anything that got to close. I felt something grab my ankle and screamed.

"Jeep, shoot it. Whatever it is just fucking shoot it!" I screamed, hoping he would be able to. "I really don't care if the bullet hits me too, as long as you get this thing OFF OF ME!"

I heard the tell tale clicking of an empty cartridge coming from my MP5. I groaned, slid in into my belt even as I was pulling one of the handguns from the holder on my leg and began firing again. Soon my other hand was also occupied by a handgun. I was shooting left and right. Felt something grab my shoulders, pull. I nearly shot whatever it was until a familiar, tattooed hand grasped my own. I looked back. I was leaning against Michael's chest just inside the diner. He was breathing heavily; I could feel the vibrations passing from his chest to my back.

"Thanks." I breathed, dropping my hands to my lap. He slowly released my hand and nodded slightly at me. I felt someone grasp onto my right arm and looked up. Percy was examining the bite wound.

"You're lucky, it missed the largest vein. But you'll need stitches." He said. I nodded.

"Anyone know how to do stitches?" I asked, glancing around. Kiara and Alexander were huddled together, occasionally shooting glances at me. Alexander was trying to comfort her, I could slightly hear as she spoke my name through broken sobs. Percy shook his head and Bob looked close to being sick. Kyle was holding Audrey close, I could hear her muffled sobs as he assured her that I was fine. Charlie was slumped over, looking relieved.

Michael grasped my wrist and examined it, pulling me closer in the process, although I was already practically on his lap.

"Someone should go help Jeep on the roof." I said. Percy nodded and left the room.

"Bob, I'll need you to get me the first aid kit." Michael said. The words reverberated through his chest and into my back. I struggled to keep from shivering. This was no okay. It was totally not okay for me to have a crush on the freaking Archangel Michael. There had to be rules against that sort of thing. I shook my head as Bob dropped a small white box into my lap.

I used my free hand to rifle through the box, removing sanitizing wipes, thread, a needle, and bandages. I handed the needle and thread to Michael. Then, I opened the sanitizing wipes and carefully cleaned and disinfected the wound.

"This will hurt." He said softly, holding my wrist tightly and placing the cold needle against my skin. I nodded telling him I was ready.

I bit my lip as he began to stitch up the wound, holding in the small whimpers of pain. I heard an explosion from outside, followed by a bright light shining through the slats in the windows. Heat emanated from the door. Everyone, except Michael, looked up.

"They must've shot one of the gas pumps or something." I said, whimpering slightly as the thread was pulled through my skin.

"At least now those freaks are dead." Bob said.

I looked back at my wrist to see Michael cutting and tying off the thread. I opened the bandages and went to wrap them around the wound. He pulled them from my grasp and did it himself. I looked back at him.

"Thank you." I said quietly, meeting his steely blue gaze. He smiled lightly and nodded. With a start I realized that I was still sitting on his lap and quickly stood. My head spun.

"Wow, I must've lost more blood than I thought I had." I said, grasping my head lightly with my left hand.

"Careful," Michael said, reaching out a steadying hand to grasp my shoulder. I nodded to him, smiling sheepishly.

"I'm going to go give Jeep a break. You should eat something, girl. You need to get your energy back up after a stunt like that." Bob said. I nodded at him with a light smile and sat at one of the barstools. While he left, I pulled the MP5 from my belt and removed the empty magazine. I replaced it with one of the full ones in my pockets and slid the gun back into my belt after making sure the safety was on. I looked at the clock. Twelve A.M. December twenty-fifth.

"Happy Birthday to me." I said.

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><p><strong>Well, there you have it, chapter four, and we're one chapter away from finding out just what is so special about Tristana. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed and added this story to your favorites or alerts.<strong>

**Happy Easter you guys!**


	5. Chapter 5

**So, maybe sooner than normal wasn't exactly that soon. I blame finals, I'm sorry. AP Exams are a pain in the ass. Anyway, you finally get to figure out what's so special about Tristana in this chapter, I hope you enjoy it. :-) **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Legion or any of the characters or ideas associated with it. I DO, however, own Tristana and her family so please no stealing my characters. **

**Enjoy the story and please review with constructive criticism or helpful ideas to stave off any possibility of writer's block.**

Fallen

A Legion Fanfic by xXShadow-Wolf13Xx

Chapter Five

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><p>"It's your birthday?" I heard Audrey's wavery voice ask. I turned to look at her; I saw Michael, Charlie, and Kyle looking on curiously as well. I nodded.<p>

"Yeah, as of this exact moment, I am eighteen years old." I said quietly.

"What a way to celebrate, by almost getting killed." Charlie said, trying to lighten the mood. I chuckled.

"The reason to celebrate is that I wasn't killed." I replied. She smiled and stood.

"Here, I'll make you some pancakes since it is your birthday." She said, walking around the bar.

"Thanks," I said, smiling.

"No problem." She replied with a small smile. I glanced back at my now sleeping foster parents with a sigh.

"You're parents don't seem very active in your life." Charlie said, following my gaze. I looked at her.

"They aren't my parents." I said.

"What?" Audrey asked.

"They're my foster parents. I've been in the system since I was born. No one knows who my birth parents are." I replied, looking from Audrey and Kyle to Charlie. I met Michael's curious gaze.

"I've never even seen who your parents are, which is quite odd." He said. My gaze dropped to the table top.

"Yeah, I'm used to it. But lately things have been so weird I wonder who they are." I said quietly. "I've been having these dreams where this guy shows up, I think its Gabriel. But, anyway, he shows up and tells me I'm some sort of 'Forbidden' being or something then tries to kill me. He never does though, he tries, but then there's this bright light and I feel like my back is on fire. I always wake up before I can really see what happens. All I know is something feels weird in my back when I wake up and I normally get these phantom twitches in muscles that I know I don't have."

I shook my head at the table. "It's starting to freak me out, honestly. It's been happening for the past three months and I don't get it."

"Maybe you've just been having weird dreams because you felt something shifting? Maybe you felt the apocalypse coming?" Audrey suggested.

"Yeah, Jeep couldn't sleep well for the past several weeks. Kept having horrible dreams that he said made him feel like he had a front row seat to the end of the world." Charlie added.

I looked between the two of them. I felt Michael's stare on my back, felt the weight of his silence. I turned to meet his serious, steely blue-grey eyes.

"What did you say the figure in your dreams called you?" He asked.

"It was different every time. Sometimes it was 'Forbidden Child' other times it was this weird word 'Nef– Neff-ill-um' …or something like that. But most of the time it was 'Abomination' ." I replied. His eyes widened. I looked at him in alarm.

"What?" I asked, freaked out by his shocked, slightly worried expression.

"He called you a Nephilim, are you positive?" He asked, voice suddenly serious. I nodded slowly, now really worried. He closed his eyes and seemed almost pained.

"Wha – What is a Nephilim exactly?" I asked.

"The Nephilim are a race of beings born of the Sons of God and the Daughters of Men, more or less, the children of forbidden unions between Angels and humans. But, for him to also call you an "Abomination" or a "Forbidden Child" would mean that you aren't just any Nephilim. Without knowledge of who your parents are though, I have no way of knowing." Michael answered.

"Who would know who my parents are?" I asked.

"Gabriel." Michael replied. There was a note of finality in the name, and a note of dread.

I shivered, feeling pain shoot up my spine and into my shoulder blades. I hissed in pain and rolled my shoulders carefully. Charlie set a plate of pancakes in front of me. I thanked her and began to dig in. Suddenly she let out a cry and doubled over, holding onto the counter for support. I herad water hit the ground.

"The baby's coming!" She gasped out. I dropped my fork and sprung over the bar to grab onto her. Michael had also sped across the room and hopped the bar, he stood on her other side, resting a hand on her shoulder. I looked over at him.

"Audrey, you help Michael with Charlie while I get towels. Kyle, fill a large bowl or pot with hot water." I ordered, turning Charlie over to Michael and moving to collect as many towels as I could find.

Once Kyle and I had the water and towels, we carried them into the back room where Audrey and Michael had taken Charlie. We set them down next to Michael. Charlie was cradled against his chest, grasping his hands and panting fiercely between her moans of pain. Audrey stood between her knees, frantic and asking what she was supposed to do. Michael was directing them from his position by Charlie's head.

"Kyle and I will stay in the front room to keep an eye on things. Yell if you need anything." I said, all thoughts of my own problems forgotten for the moment. He nodded and Kyle and I returned to the front portion of the diner where my foster parents still lay curled up beneath one of the tables.

I stood silently, leaning against the bar, my pancakes sitting forgotten on my right. Kyle was sitting, just as silent, reclined in the booth in front of me. I could hear the echoes of Charlie's pain. My abdomen cringed with sympathy pain. My shoulder blades and back throbbed with every beat of my heart. I was torn between worrying about Charlie and the baby and worrying about just what was going to happen to me. Wondering just what I really was; _**who**_ I really was.

I dropped my head into my hands wondering when this insanity would end. My head shot back up at the blaring sound that blasted through my ears. It sounded like someone had played one long blast on a very large trumpet. I met Kyle's surprised gaze and heard Alexander curse as he shot up and bashed his head on the underside of the table he had been beneath.

"What the hell was that?" Kyle asked. I shrugged.

"Only Michael would know what that was." I replied. In the silence that followed the loud sound, I became aware of the lack of Charlie's pained groans. A small sound, the sound of a child's wailing filled the air now. I smiled lightly, even as pain flared in my back.

I raced back into the back room to see Audrey holding the small bundle out towards Charlie. The blonde woman turned away. Michael murmured something to Audrey and she backed away. I smiled gently at her as she walked past me. Michael walked towards me, leaving Charlie to pull herself together.

"What was that?" I asked, "That blaring noise. What does it mean?"

I followed him into the front room where my foster parents were cooing over the newborn in Audrey's arms. Kyle was still standing by the windows, staring warily out at the large crowd of Possessed that surrounded the diner soon after the trumpeting sound echoes through the air.

"The Possessed cannot touch the child, so He has sent someone who can; someone like me." He answered.

"Gabriel." I whispered. He nodded.

"Yes, he's come to do what I wouldn't." Michael said. I looked down, wondering if this would be the scene I had been dreaming about for the past three months.

"That was the order you refused. You were supposed to kill the baby." Jeep said, walking in from the back room with Charlie close behind him. Michael nodded slightly. My gaze shot up to clash with Michael's steely eyes, my mouth dropped open in slight shock, twisting into a grimace as my back and shoulders throbbed with pain once more. Another blaring trumpet call cut through the night.

"You mean…" I began. He nodded once more.

"The Child was never meant to be born." He said somberly.

"What?" Charlie said, glaring slightly at the former angel.

"There was never meant to be a Second Coming, but we've changed all that. The future has been unwritten. There is hope for Humanity now." Michael said pleading for her to understand. Charlie looked shaken. She reached out to Audrey, asking for her baby.

My eyes widened at what I saw. Audrey moved to hand the child to Charlie, but Kiara stretched forward and plucked him from her grasp. Both her and Alexander backed away towards the front door with the child.

"Kiara, Alexander! What the hell are you doing?" I yelled at them in utter shock. I stared at their faces, twisted with frantic madness. Whatever war they had been fighting within themselves these past few days, they had just lost.

"Hey! Don't do it! Whatever you're planning, just don't do it!" Kyle shouted. Audrey clung to him and he held her tightly around the waist with one arm.

"You heard what he said, they just want the baby!" Alexander said.

"It's just one baby, if we give it to them it'll all be over. They'll leave us alone." Kiara said, reaching one hand towards me. "Come over here, Tristana."

I shook my head at them, backing away ever so slightly. My shoulder bumped into something firm and warm. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder as a flash of white hot pain went down my spine. I groaned, heard a gun click as it was cocked. The hand on my shoulder shifted.

Charlie squared off with them just as another horn blast burst forth. IT was close, too close. The entire earth rattled. It had to have been just outside the door. I heard another gun click, Kyle's piece was pointed directly at Alexander.

"Give him to me!" Charlie commanded in a forceful, yet frantic voice.

"Why? You didn't even want the bastard!" Alexander snapped. I growled.

"Don't call him that!" I roared.

"No one asked you, you little freak!" Kiara spat. "No one ever even wanted you either!"

I recoiled as if struck, another flash of pain going down my spine. This one was even worse. The hand that had rested on my shoulder now gripped my arm, holding me up.

"Don't call her that!" Audrey yelled. Charlie stood before us, floundering for words at the realization that she hadn't wanted the child before.

The door was torn off its hinges. Two gunshots simultaneously fired. My foster parents disappeared back into the blinding white light, lifeless. The baby flew through the air and Jeep launched himself forward to catch him. The two landed safely on the ground, the child cradled in Jeep's arms.

A dark silhouette appeared in the doorway, a massive person wielding some sort of mace. I could just make out the shape of wings on its back. Jeep looked up as the shape stepped forward.

Gabriel was huge and his wings glinted dangerously. They almost looked as if they were made from a dark metal. He was dressed in battle armor and his weapon looked as deadly as his metallic wings. I stared at the scarred, battle worn visage of the behemoth of a man that was Gabriel. His face bore a striking resemblance to Michael if you ignored the scars; they could have been brothers.

Jeep quickly rolled out of the way as the mace swung down towards him and the child. I yelled, half to distract Gabriel and half because of the intense pain that now wracked my entire frame. Gabriel's gaze snapped up to me. His lip curled.

"You! You abomination! Child of Death and the Queen of the Damned!" He said in a deep, resounding voice. I cringed as more pain coursed through me. My blood was like liquid fire. I heard Michael's voice, it blended together with Audrey's screams and Jeep's shouting. Over everything, I heard my own heartbeat, the crying of the baby, and Gabriel's hateful words. What the hell did he mean?

I watched, helpless as he advanced on me. I hoped that Jeep, Charlie and the others would take this time to get away while Gabriel was distracted. Instead, I heard gunshots. Saw them glance off of his armor and wings, heard the shouting, angered voices of Percy and Bob as they joined the fray.

Shakily, I stood. I would not face my death on my knees no matter how much pain I was in.

"What the hell does that mean, Gabriel?" I spat at him. He sneered.

"You are the forbidden child of Azrael, the Archangel of Death, and Lilith the Queen of the Damned Ones, the Fallen. You are the Forsaken Child that has been hidden from us among the humans." He spat back. I stepped back in shock, bumping into something. Tattooed arms snaked around my midsection from behind me and pulled me back further, shielding me from Gabriel. Michael, I had backed into Michael.

Between the shock and the pain, I could barely think. Now, only two things existed in my mind: the crying of a baby, and the rushing of my blood in my ears. I screamed as pain ripped through my back. My vision went white.

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><p><strong>Well, there you have it, chapter five, tell me what you think about Tristana? Do you love it, hate, think it's stupid? Review and let me know. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed and added this story to your favorites or alerts.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**How's this for updating soon? Haha, I always hated cliffys so I couldn't leave you hanging too long.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Legion or any of the characters or ideas associated with it. I DO, however, own Tristana and her family so please no stealing my characters. **

**Enjoy the story and please review with constructive criticism or helpful ideas to stave off any possibility of writer's block.**

Fallen

A Legion Fanfic by xXShadow-Wolf13Xx

Chapter Six

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><p>The pain was unbearable and I was blind to my surroundings. Occasionally, I heard the sounds of fighting, Michael's voice. I didn't know what was going on, only that it hurt and it was Gabriel's fault. Or was it my own? I screamed again, felt hot tears rolling down my face as pain wracked through my back.<p>

I felt bones breaking, skin tearing, blood flowed freely down my back. My shirt ripped, and I felt something stretching, pulling. Then, the pain was nearly gone. It felt like stretching out sore muscles after a workout. I carefully rolled my shoulders. I nearly cried out, but this time out of shock. I felt something cool and feathery brush my back.

Moving muscles I had no idea I had or knew how to use, I heard a whooshing sound and a slight snap. I looked back. Large black and silver wings spread from my back. It had to have been at least a sixteen foot wingspan. I wiped the tears that still lingered on my cheeks and looked around.

Gabriel stood before me staring in anger. Jeep looked stricken and I saw blood on the floor. I looked around frantically. Michael was fine, Charlie and the baby were fine, Audrey was fine cradled against Kyle's chest, Kyle looked shaken but he too was fine. Percy stood, hand lightly resting on my shoulder as if asking if I was okay. I nodded slightly at him. I pulled my wings in and turned around to look behind me. Bob lay in pain behind the bar, blood gushing from a slice across his stomach. The severed gas line was near his hand. I saw his fingers weakly moving towards his old silver lighter. I smiled gently at him and turned to face Gabriel.

"I'll take Audrey and Kyle and get out of here. You, Jeep, Charlie, Percy, and the baby take that cruiser you stole and follow us." I whispered to Michael out of the corner of my mouth. He shook his head slightly.

"No," He said pressing the keys into my palm, "You get them out; Jeep is the baby's protector. Give him the keys. I'll give you guys the time you need to get away." He said. I looked at him sadly.

"You shouldn't have to die for us. Humanity has already had one too many Heavenly sacrifices." I said, voice cracking. Despite that I agreed. He had motioned for the others to get to the backroom and to safety already. Before he could move away, acting on instinct, I pulled him down by the collar of his shirt and pressed my lips to his lightly.

"Come back to us." I said quietly, looking into his shocked blue eyes. I raced away then, fighting my blush. I burst into the back room, the sounds of battle already echoing from behind me. The room's occupants stared at me.

"Kyle, Audrey, you two come with me. There isn't enough room in the car for all of us so I can fly us out of here then come back to help Michael. Jeep, you take Percy, Charlie and the baby and go as fast as you can to Red Ridge in that cruiser." I said as soon as I had closed the door behind me. They all nodded in agreement.

Kyle and Audrey carefully approached me. I wrapped an arm around each of them and pulled them close to my sides. I felt each of their arms go around my middle and their fingers twined together behind my back.

Jeep opened the door and we all exited, the Possessed shying away from the child in Charlie's arms.

"Be safe." I said to them as I spread my wings. They nodded at me.

I shifted the muscles, flapping my wings in powerful down strokes. After just a few, I was airborne. I flew as fast as I could, learning as I flew. The joints where the wings met my back pulled painfully, not used to movement, let alone flying while carrying this much weight. Tears began to flow down my face from the pain only to be whipped from my skin by the rushing wind. Soon we arrived at the outskirts of the survivors' camp. I dropped the two off.

"Stay safe. The others should be here soon. I'll be back." I said. I looked Kyle dead in the eyes. "Take care of her."

Without another word, I was gone. I flew as hard as I could back towards the diner. I was halfway there when the sky was lit up with an explosion. The sign flew through the air.

"Michael!" I screamed into the sky.

I could see the headlights of the cruiser below me, and looking in front of me, saw the silhouette of a winged creature flying towards it. I couldn't let Gabriel reach them. I was too slow as I raced towards the car. He reached it before I could. I saw him latched onto the top of the car, reaching in trying to grab the baby. I swooped down and tried to grab him around the neck. He landed a blow to my temple with one of his armor clad wrists. I tumbled from his back, rolling along the dusty ground.

I groaned and sat up, cursing as I saw the quickly moving form of the car. Gabriel still clung to the top. Before I could stand, I heard gunshots and Gabriel lost his grip on the car. He slid backwards off the top, but managed to grab hold of the trunk before he was flung completely off.

I stood to my feet, stretching my wings out and racing towards them. I heard the glass break as Gabriel slammed his fist against the rear windshield. I flew as fast as I could and latched my hands onto his feet and pulled. Percy was in the back seat, trying with all he had to help me remove Gabriel from the car. With one final tug, I pulled him from the car and sent him flying backwards. I landed heavily against the trunk of the car and gripped the edge of the broken back windshield to keep from sliding off. Bits of broken glass dug into my palm. I could hear Gabriel as he came at up once more.

"Percy," I yelled, "Tell Jeep that it's only a few more miles to the camp. But Gabriel's still coming. We have to do something." I waited, hanging on tightly as Percy relayed my message.

"Do you have any idea what we could do to get him off our trail?" Percy asked. I shook my head.

"No, I was hoping you would." I replied. I looked through to see out the front windshield. We were nearly to the ridge just before where I had dropped Audrey and Kyle. Suddenly, I had an idea.

"Tell him to take a sharp left here." I shouted hurriedly, hearing the sound of Gabriel getting closer and closer.

After a few seconds, the vehicle lurched sharply left and threatened to roll due to the speed and angle of the turn. I had hoped as much. I quickly pulled myself into the car through the broken window just before the natural forces kicked in and sent the car rolling. I curled my wings as close to my body as I could, pressing them against my back so that they wouldn't get wounded too terribly.

Finally, the car stopped rolling. I groaned and pulled myself out through the back window before helping Percy out after me.

"Jeep, Charlie, are you and the baby okay?" I asked as I checked myself for wounds, then, checked the horizon for Gabriel.

"Yeah, we're fine. Where's Gabriel?" Jeep replied. I continued to look around.

"I don't know," I said, "but we need to get moving. The sooner we get to the camp the better."

They all nodded in agreement and we carefully set out to climbing down the nearest ridge, or at least, we tried. Gabriel swooped down upon us, knocking Percy to the ground and taking me down soon after. I grunted at the impact and sat up as quickly as I could. I heard Charlie cussing him out as he demanded that the child be given to him. Jeep stood firmly between Gabriel and Charlie.

I stood quickly and rushed as Gabriel from behind. I locked my arms tightly around him and struggled against his weight to pull him back away from them. He struggled against my hold and I feared he would break through when I felt extra force and weight pushing us further back. A tattooed pair of arms snaked around from Gabriel's front, locking in place between my chest and his back. Jeep was helping me.

With our combined effort, we pulled him back. I realized too late that we were heading towards the edge of the cliff we had been standing upon. My feet slipped from the edge and I felt as the three of us tumbled through air. My wings were pinned to my back because of the gravitational force as we fell, intertwined as we were. I heard Percy's yell and Charlie's scream echoing above us.

We landed hard, and I was afraid that Jeep may have broken something because I had landed on top of him. I was relieved when I noticed that the sickening crunch I had heard when we landed was the sound of a breaking stick beneath Jeep's body weight. I pulled myself to my feet as quickly as I could, reaching down to help Jeep up as well.

We both turned to face Gabriel as he approached us slowly, knife drawn. I pulled my buck knife from my boot and clutched my recently reloaded magnum in my left hand. The other lay waiting strapped to my right thigh in case I needed it.

"Why do you continue to fight even when you know all hope is lost?" He asked in a tired voice. He eyed me with contempt and disgust.

"Go to hell!" I screamed at him, leveling the gun with his head and holding my knife ready for anything. Jeep stood slightly behind me, favoring his left leg. Perhaps I had been mistaken in thinking he hadn't broken anything.

He pulled back and lunged towards me too fast for me to block. But he stopped short when our field of vision was filled with a bright light. I heard a rush of wings. Then, I heard the solid thud of something hitting the ground. When the light faded and I could see again, I realized just who stood before me. A smile split my face as I took in the sight of Michael in all his winged glory, crouched protectively in front of Jeep and I. He was clothed in dark armor similar to that of Gabriel, but his seemed slightly more metallic and less like leather.

"This cannot be." Gabriel breathed. "You've disobeyed Him."

"You gave Him what he asked for." Michael said to him softly, "I gave Him what he needed."

Gabriel looked down whether in sorrow or shame I couldn't tell. Then, his mouth twisted into a snarl and his gaze snapped back up to Michael. His eyes were cold and hard, like stones. With a feral yell he lunged for Michael, but Michael was too fast. In the blink of an eye, Gabriel was on the ground, clutching his bleeding stomach before Jeep and I. Michael now stood a little past him, blade still poised as if to cut, blood coloring its razor edge. Michael straightened and slowly approached the pained Gabriel as I stood and watched, Jeep holding onto my shoulder for support. He placed the tip of his sword just under Gabriel's chin, forcing him to look up.

"Do it." Gabriel said quietly. Michael didn't move.

"Do it!" He exclaimed louder. Michael shook his head. A sad look came to his face as he removed his blade and sheathed it, turning his back on Gabriel.

"No." Michael said quietly.

"Michael." I whispered quietly, sadly. I closed my eyes and a single tear escaped, rolling slowly down my cheek.

"I would not have shown you such mercy." Gabriel said, voice devoid of any real emotion.

"That's why you've failed Him." Michael spoke. His back was still turned towards us. Another tear fell slowly from my eyes.

Broken and recognizing his defeat, Gabriel turned and took off into the night. I held myself back from rushing out from under Jeep to go embrace Michael. I closed my eyes, which were burning with unshed tears. Michael finally turned to look at us. His steely eyes lit with warmth as we locked gazes.

"They're waiting for you." He said softly to Jeep and me. Then, with one last lingering look at me, he turned as if to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Jeep asked, shifting his weight from my shoulder to the side of the cliff behind us.

"You're the true protector, Jeep, you always have been." Michael replied. Finally, I allowed myself to jerk forward, and I grasped onto his arm.

"Will we ever see you again?" I asked him in a small voice. I hardly recognized it as my own. Another tear slipped, unbidden, from my eyes.

His gaze softened and soon I found myself pressed against his armor-clad chest. His arms encircled me in their warmth. I nuzzled my face into the juncture where his collar bone met his neck, breathing in his scent. My arms clutched tightly around him. I fought the urge to kiss him again.

"Have faith." He breathed quietly into my ear. I lifted my face to look at him.

"Michael," I said quietly, looking down from his gaze. Suddenly, I felt his warm lips envelop mine and I returned the pressure tentatively. All too soon, his lips pulled away from mine. A gentle smile pulled them up in one corner, and I returned the small smile with a sad one of my own.

"I'll be watching, Tristana, every day." He whispered to me quietly. I held him tightly to me for a second longer before releasing him and stepping back.

"I'll wait till the end of the world comes again if I have to." I said just as quietly.

I stepped back to where Jeep was slowly, walking backwards and not once taking my eyes off of Michael. He turned and spread his wings, jumping from the edge and soaring up into the ever lightening morning sky. I turned sad eyes onto Jeep. He looked at me in sympathy as I approached.

"Come here, I'll fly us both back up there." I said as I neared him. I scooped him up, being careful of his twisted ankle. With a few powerful thrusts of my wings, I had flown us back up to the top of the cliff. We were met with the bright, relieved smiled of Percy and Charlie. Carefully, I set Jeep down on level ground to test how well he could walk on his ankle. I smiled slightly at the baby's happy coos.

"The camp is a little ways that way," I said pointing off in the direction of the area I had dropped Audrey and Kyle off in. "It shouldn't be too far of a walk. I know it's only twisted, but if it's too difficult, Jeep, I could fly you."

He shook his head. I smiled slightly at his bravado, but I knew that after all of this, if he couldn't take it he would admit it. Without much more thought on the matter, I led them all down off the ridge and towards the refugee camp. I couldn't help but wonder what would happen now that the hell on earth had essentially ended. I stayed silent, musing to myself about just what I should do. The Possessed were still around, they wouldn't go away just like that. I supposed we would live in darkness for a while, rebuilding. _'But where did that leave me?'_ I shook my head to clear if of such thoughts. It would do me no good now.

After about three hours of walking, we finally arrived at the edge of the camp. The distance had seemed so much shorter when I had been frantically flying. I smiled slightly when Audrey and Kyle came running towards us. Audrey though her arms around me while Kyle greeted the others.

"You're okay, they're okay, we're gonna be okay." She breathed followed by a relieved sigh. I nodded, holding the shaking girl closer. In that moment I realized that she looked up to me like an older sister, and that our little beat up, ragtag group of people was the closest thing to family she had left.

"We're all gonna be just fine, Audrey." I said, releasing her.

"Where'd Michael go?" Kyle asked me when Audrey and I returned our attentions to the rest of the group.

"He went Home." I replied quietly, a sad smile gracing my lips.

"What do we do now?" Audrey asked.

"We live." I replied.

"We thrive." Percy added.

"We rebuild." Jeep stated.

"We survive." Charlie finished. I nodded.

"That's all we can do." I said.

"What will you do?" Audrey asked me. I could tell she was scared I would leave. I shrugged.

"Stay here I suppose. I'll just have to hide what I am. I mean I have no idea of where to even start looking for my real parents to learn anything about any of this." I said. "I'll just go on living like normal." Audrey heaved a relieved sigh. I think they all did.

"So, Jeep, what's up with the tattoos?" Kyle asked as he led us into the camp to meet with the leader.

"The instructions, that's what Michael called 'em. Said they'd help me know what I was supposed to do to keep the baby safe. He also mentioned that they might tell us where we go from here." Jeep replied.

"Did he happen to mention any way to read the instructions?" Percy asked. Jeep shrugged.

"Told me to find the prophets or something, he said they would teach me how to read them." He replied.

"Did he by chance tell you how to _find_ the prophets?" I asked. It seemed just like Michael to give us something but have us figure out how to use it ourselves. Jeep shook his head.

"Brilliant, looks like we'll have to fend for ourselves." I said. "Kyle, take us to the person in charge so we can get set up with a place to sleep. That baby needs somewhere out of the sun to rest."

Kyle nodded and led us through the camp. We followed closely, not really knowing what to expect. I could just barely see the silhouettes of people hiding in their tents and campers as we passed. I pulled my wings tighter against my back, and was startled to feel them melding to my flesh. Soon, I couldn't even feel them at all; it was as if they had sunk into my skin. I could just barely feel the hinting of the added muscles on my shoulder blades assuring me that they weren't really gone.

"So, what can you tell us about the people here?" Jeep asked. Kyle shrugged.

"They're just regular, everyday people. A little on the paranoid and suspicious side, but who wouldn't be after everything we've been through." Kyle replied. "Even the kids have weapons. I saw this little girl with a buck knife in her hands, and a fourteen year old girl with a nine mil."

"Well, they did survive the beginning of the apocalypse." I said with a shrug. "It's only normal that they would be a little more defensive. I mean they probably won't even speak to us until they know we aren't a threat." Kyle nodded.

"Yeah, nobody came out of their tents until after the leader had allowed us to stay here." Audrey said.

"Sounds about right, I mean we were pretty damn suspicious when Michael showed up." I said with a shrug, "And he was even driving a cop car." My attempt at humor garnered a few chuckles and I smiled. We would be okay, we would get through this.

"So, how much further till we get to talk to the boss-man?" Jeep asked. Before anyone could respond we heard a gruff clearing of someone's voice.

"The 'Boss-man' would be me." A deep gravelly voice in front of us spoke. I looked up, and looked up some more. The man had to be at least six foot six. He was dressed in faded military fatigues and combat boots, if I had to guess, I'd say he had just gotten back from a military base overseas when all hell broke loose. He had a puckered scar running down the left side of his lined, tanned face disrupting the black stubble that formed his goatee. An M-4 carbine machine gun was clutched in one hand, and I could see the nose of an M40 sniper rifle peeking over his shoulder. Sharp green eyes stared down at me, I met them evenly.

"I'm Tristana, my friends and I seek shelter. We were trapped at Paradise Falls until just recently." I said, staring up at him. The baby let out a soft cry and Charlie shushed him. He was silent for a moment.

"Colonel Darryl McArthur," he said with a salute. I saluted back and his eyebrows shot up in slight shock. He nodded in approval. "They friend's of yours, Kyle?"

Kyle nodded, "Yes, sir, 'f it weren't for them, I can't say that I'd be standing here." The man nodded.

"Alright, you're welcome to stay here. We'll get you set up with a watch and chore schedule soon enough, 'cept you," he pointed at Charlie, "looks like that newborn'll be takin' up most of your time for a while." I smiled in relief.

"Thank God," I sighed. Darryl smiled slightly.

"There's an empty tent next to the one that Audrey is now staying in, but all of you won't fit. You will have to come up with your sleeping arrangements yourselves. Someone will come by this afternoon to show you around the camp and let you know where you will be working." He said, "But for now, get some rest."

"Thanks," I sighed. He saluted once more and I returned it before he turned and entered a large tent that looked like it had been transplanted there from the frontlines.

"You can stay with me, Tristana." Audrey said happily as both she and Kyle led us to their tents. I smiled and thanked her.

"Yeah, and Percy can stay in mine. Jeep, Charlie, and the baby can take the other tent." Kyle added. I nodded.

"That sounds perfect." Charlie said.

We continued the rest of the short walk in silence. Luckily, the three tents were in a row. Kyle and Percy ducked into a medium sized red tent to the left next to an ugly yellow colored tent. Audrey motioned to the black medium sized tent in between Kyle's tent and a large blue tent and said that it was ours. The large blue tent turned out to be the one that was empty and Charlie gratefully ducked into it. I was sure she was asleep with her baby in minutes. Jeep followed soon after her.

I slipped into the tent I would be sharing with Audrey and dropped my guns and ammo on the ground on the opposite side of the tent from her stuff. Next, I slid my jacket off and bundled it up like a pillow. Without further thought to my dirty, grimy, bloody clothes, or even my lack of a blanket, I collapsed onto the ground like a tired dog, every muscle in my body relaxing for the first time in days as I slowly drifted to sleep. But my guns were within easy reach, and my knife was still tucked safely in my boot. I knew that at the slightest sound, I would be up and armed. My life had been upended and turned into a warzone; those habits would not soon be forgotten.

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><p><strong>Well, there you have it, chapter six, hope ya'll like it. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed and added this story to your favorites or alerts.<strong>


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